in a ceremony held on Father's Day, June 18, at the West Avon Congregational Church, Avon Boy Scout Troop 274 awarded six of their members the rank of Eagle Scout. Troop 274 Boy Scouts who were awarded Eagle Scout rank include: Zachary Bortoff, William Kostal, Jordan Lazinsk, Peter Malkin, Patrick Olmstead, and George Pavlakis. To achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, which is the highest rank in Boy Scouting, scouts must complete extensive community service requirements, complete at least 21 merit badges, and plan, develop and lead a service project that is helpful to any religious institution, school or their community. Troop 274 Eagle Projects included: building an information board at Avon's Sperry Park, home of Avon Little League; establishing an information kiosk in front of the Board of Education Building detailing the history of Avon; registering and recording historical grave sites of veterans in area cemeteries; repairing hiking bridges and improving trail access at Fisher Meadows; establishing a nationally registered Monarch butterfly habitat adjacent to the Avon Community Gardens; and building new boat racks for the Avon High School Crew Team. Through their projects, these six Eagle Scouts contributed more than 1,000 hours in community service and provided lasting improvements to their community. All graduating seniors, Troop 274's six newest Eagle Scouts are now off at college or continuing their life of service they began in scouting. Two of the six scouts are enlisted in the United States military, including the United States Army and the Marines. A third Eagle Scout is now a Cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point. The other three scouts have gone on to civilian colleges, including Wake Forrest, Syracuse University, and the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

This item was posted by a community contributor. To read more about community contributors, click here.